How to Build an Outdoor Toilet: 13 Steps

2024 Author: Samantha Chapman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 09:13

An outdoor toilet can be a useful accessory for a rustic home. There are various types of outdoor toilets and many methods of building them, but these steps are a good starting point for learning how to build them! A toilet can provide readily available compost for the vegetable garden and garden and is not too difficult to build.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Starting the Project

Step 1. Check the landscaping constraints of your area to make sure it is permissible to build an outdoor toilet

There are no univocal rules in Italy and in the rest of the world. It is most likely not possible to build it in the city.

The constraints relate to the size and distance from the water supply source. A good rule of thumb is to make sure the toilet is built 6 to 30 meters away from a water source

Step 2. Choose a design

There are different types of outdoor toilet designs, some simpler, some more complex. Before building it, decide how many seats you want to install.

• Consider the weather conditions in your area. A toilet with a front screen is fine in the summer, but isn't exactly suited for alpine winters.

  

• Consider who will be using the bathroom. For example, if a child comes in accompanied by a parent, make sure there is enough space for both of them.

  

• Although most toilets are rectangular in shape, they can vary quite a lot in terms of comfort and size, they may simply have a hole in the floor for you to squat on, or they may have an actual seat to sit on. All toilets must have some form of ventilation and preferably something to clean with. Add a shelf to the toilet to hold toilet paper and a couple of magazines and hand sanitizers. Take the opportunity to exercise your creativity!

  

Part 2 of 3: Building the Toilet

Step 1. Check that there are no dangers underground

For your safety, locate all the pipes before you start digging.

Step 2. Dig a hole

It is essential to carry out this operation immediately, because once the supporting structure of the toilet has been built, it will no longer be possible to dig the hole. There is no set width and depth for the hole, however it must be larger than 60 x 60 cm. A 120 x 150 cm hole is suitable for a toilet with two seats.

• Make sure that the hole has regular and level side walls: in fact they are necessary to make the foundation.

  

• If you want to install more than one seat, you will need to dig a larger hole.

  

• Consider the location of the water supply source and inquire about the laws and restrictions regarding the construction of an outdoor toilet.

  

Step 3. Build the foundation

This structure must be inserted into the hole you previously dug. There are many types of foundations and different types of toilets.

• A good method is to wrap a wooden structure (like a box) in tar paper and insert it into the hole. This structure serves to keep moisture out. Once the box has been inserted into the hole, level the soil around the hole and create a base of treated wood around it. This will be the plant on which the floor and the toilet structure will be made.

  

• If you want to use concrete, build a wooden structure at the base of which you will make a concrete threshold, about 10 cm thick. Don't forget to leave a hole in the center! Level and even out the concrete around the hole you dug. Remember to reinforce the concrete with steel rods and ring pins for fixing.

  

• The use of concrete increases the cost of the toilet and requires the intervention of an experienced helper.

  

Step 4. Make the floor

First, build the beam structure (based on the size of the toilet), then insert the plywood sheets onto the structure. You can build it directly on the foundation of the toilet or elsewhere, to place it on the base as soon as you have completed it.

• The structure will be made with wooden planks. We recommend using autoclaved wood or untreated hemlock, which has a natural resistance to decay. The structure can consist of a simple square of 4 boards, but other boards can be added to reinforce the floor.

  

• If you are using autoclaved wood planks, remember to coat the ends with a primer.

  

• Build the floor with two (or three, depending on) sheets of plywood, nailed together and nailed to the structure. Make sure you make a rectangular section for the toilet seat!

  

• Install a subframe to support the floor. Screw and nail the plywood sheets onto it.

Step 5. Build the toilet structure

You will need planks that are at least 6 x 6 inches (15 x 15 cm). The amount of boards needed, as well as their width and length, vary according to the size of the type of toilet you want to make.

• To have resistant corners, remember not to fix only the external corners of the boards together, but to pass the nails from the outside to the inside of the structure.

  

• The easiest and cheapest way to make the side walls is to use 60 x 120 cm boards and cover them with plywood panels, so you can build the structure quickly and easily.

  

• If you prefer to build a more expensive and more solid toilet, you can make thicker walls and add diagonal support to reinforce it, which is more difficult to make, but makes the toilet more durable. If you live in a cold place and intend to use the toilet all year round, consider insulating it.

  

• Carefully secure the walls to the floor.

  

Step 6. Build the roof

Cover a sheet of plywood and attach it to the walls. You can cover it with roller siding, shingles or metal panels. Some people indulge in adding gables and other finishes, but it's a rather complicated job.

• Don't forget to leave a small border on the roof on the entrance side; if it rains, you will need it to avoid getting wet when you leave the toilet.

  

Step 7. Build the seat if you want the toilet to have one

You can buy one produced in series or you can make it with a wooden board (60 x 120 cm) or plywood. Insert it inside the rectangular opening you made in the center of the floor.

• Determine the seat height according to your needs. If you have children, you can make a custom seat so that they can use the toilet too.

  

Step 8. Create a ventilation system

You can cut out a rectangular opening on the door and cover it with a screen, or you can cut a small crescent on the top of the door (like in cartoon ones). Ventilation is important for both odors and for circulating air.

Part 3 of 3: Perform Maintenance

Step 1. Make it sustainable

Throw ash, untreated sawdust, coir or peat into the hole after using it, to help the decomposition process, as these materials contain carbon substances that absorb the liquid and create a barrier against bad odors.

• Place a small dustbin with a lid where you can dispose of materials that do not decompose easily, such as sanitary towels or tampons.

• To keep the pit clean, use biodegradable toilet paper or throw the paper in a covered trash can, which you can burn later.

  

Step 2. Clean the toilet

This is a crucial step, as it prevents contamination of the surrounding area. If you've used the wood ashes mentioned earlier, the waste looks similar to what you use to fertilize your garden and it shouldn't be too disgusting to handle it.

• Some people create a space in the back of the toilet with a kind of door that can be opened to collect rubbish outside. To do this, it is preferable to build the toilet on the side of a hill with the entrance behind it. After you have collected the waste, you need to bury it somewhere, at least 30 feet away from a water source or drain.

  

• At this point, the contents of the toilet will become nothing more than an excellent fertilizer and you can use it for your vegetable garden or garden, but only if you have followed the guidelines for collecting and composting hygienic waste to collect it.

  

• Occasionally it may be necessary to clean up the hole by removing the waste. To do this it is necessary to disassemble the seat and use a manual auger to remove the contents underneath. If you don't have an auger you can use a shovel, but the auger is the best tool; so if you want to keep the toilet clean, you should get it.

  

• The third option is to build a new toilet hole. You have to follow all the steps described above, but you already have the toilet!

  

Step 3. Plant some flowers around the toilet

The external toilets of the old houses were covered with flowers, to look more pleasant and to cover bad smells. Today the only function of the flowers is purely aesthetic.

Advice

• An old saying goes: "Everyone can build a toilet, but not everyone can build a good toilet."
• If you are not an expert, don't make it too complicated.